February 2026 DRAFT Minutes
Welbourn Parish Council
MINUTES OF WELBOURN PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
HELD ON WEDNESDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2026
IN THE WELBOURN VILLAGE HALL AT 7.30 p.m.
PRESENT
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Parish Councillors Robert Cross (Chair) Michael Bighi Mark Crosby |
Steve Ralph Louise Troy (left the meeting at 8.15) Stephen Short
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Mr Daniel Bancroft – Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) |
Mr Jim Fieldhouse – Parish Clerk
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Not Present
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Cl District Cllr Marianne Overton MBE lr. Cllr. Steve Spedding |
District Councillor Lucille Hagues |
1. Chairman’s welcome
2. Acceptance of reasons for absence
2.1 Apologies were received from Cllr. Steve Spedding (holiday) and Cllr. Hagues (illness). These apologies were accepted. The Chair announced that Harriet Huntsman resigned as a Parish Councillor on 25 January 2026. He thanked Harriet for valuable contribution she had made to the Parish Council over many years.
3. Declaration of interest in any matter on the agenda – None declared.
4. Notes of meeting held on 14 January 2026 to be approved as minutes. Proposed by Cllr. Short and seconded by Cllr. Ralph.
4.1 Resolved: That these be accepted as minutes of the meeting.
5. Parish Clerk’s Report
5.1 Harriet Huntsman resigned as a Parish Councillor on 25 January 2025. The North Kesteven District Council (NKDC) has been informed. This means there are now two vacancies for Parish Councillors. A recruitment process will commence shortly following NKDC guidelines.
5.2 The IT or computer training course scheduled for 20 January was cancelled due to lack of support. The course scheduled to take place on Tuesday 17 February will go ahead as there are more people interested.
5.3 The heating fault at the village hall has now been repaired. It has taken 3 visits by the heating engineers to fix. The total cost of repair is £1,934.61 plus VAT. The VAT can be recovered.
5.4 Resolving the water leak at the Village Hall is still ongoing.
5.5 The Parish Council has been invited to join a consultation on the Greater Lincolnshire Nature Recovery Strategy. Information has been passed to the Parish Councillors for consideration.
5.6 Telemetry devices have been installed in three key water flows through the village. These devices measure the water levels all year round in ordinary watercourses and are linked to an online dashboard which shows their location, condition, and the level of the water that is being monitored with an update being read every 15 minutes. They have been installed as part of a new campaign to empower communities in times of flooding, by Project Groundwater Greater Lincolnshire (PGGL) hosted by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC).
5.7 A new broadband and digital line contract has been negotiated with BT moving from Enhanced service to Essential service. This will save the Council £34 approximately per month.
6. Public Forum – No residents were present.
7. County and District Councillors update
7.1 Councillors Hagues and Overton were not present.
8. Current and future maintenance responsibilities
8.1 Several “No Parking on the Verges” signs have been purchased. These signs will be erected in the following locations:-
• Outside The Village Hall Beck Street
• North End
• Outside 27 The Green
• Outside The Archdeacon’s House
Action Point: Parish Clerk to instruct handyman to install signs.
8.2 A new replacement leg to replace the damaged leg on one of the picnic benches has been obtained.
Action Point: Parish Clerk to instruct handyman to fix broken picnic bench.
8.3 There is an electrical fault at Welbourn Forge.
Action Point: - Parish Clerk to instruct an electrician to check the situation and report back.
8.4 A local workman has volunteered to remove the pendulous sedge from The Beck (village pond) as recommended in the Ecologist’s report of 29 August 2025.
Resolved:- That this offer be accepted subject to the Parish Council hiring a suitable skip. The work will be scheduled for Autumn to avoid disturbance to fauna.
9. Planning Matters to consider and discuss:
9.1 Category A - Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992
Application For Planning Permission for Development by The County Council
Lincolnshire County Council Reference: Pl/0005/26
Development: to vary condition 2 of planning permission 21/0286/ccc to retain mobile classroom, for a further five years
Location: Welbourn Primary School, High Street, Welbourn.
Resolved:- No objection
9.2 Application of Proposed Works to Trees Subject to Tree Preservation Order.
Application reference: 26/0088/TPO
Description of works: T5 Ash - removal of 2 branches (overhanging building
and garden). All round 2m crown / radial reduction.
Location: Paddock House, 3 Old Mulberry Court, Welbourn
Resolved:- No objection. 9.3 Application of Proposed Works to Trees Subject to Tree Preservation Order.
Application reference: 26/0044/TPO
Description of works: T5 - Ash - Fell due to signs of ash die back.
Location: Paddock House, 3 Old Mulberry Court, Welbourn,
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Resolved:- No objection.
11. Notifications of Planning Decisions: None
11. Finance Report: - From the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO): - To review bank balances, invoices paid since last meeting since, and items to be paid before next meeting: -
11.1 Accounts value (4 February 2026):
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HSBC Client A/c 611: £4,302.76 (Forge et al) HSBC A/c 772: £12,216.35 (For Precept) |
HSBC Bmm A/c 638: £15,527.64 (Reserves) HSBC Business C/A 677: £2,098.45 Bank Total: £34,145.20 |
(N.B. The bank balances were crossed checked against bank statements and counter signed by Cllr. Ralph.)
11.2 Bank reconciled: £0 discrepancy.
11.3 Payments made since 14 January 2026
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11.4 Income Received since last meeting (14 January 2026)
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11.5 Expected payments before the next meeting (11 March 2026):
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11.6 Resolved:- That items 11.1 – 11.5 above are noted and approved by The Council.
12.The following Parish Council Policies were allocated to the Councillors for review:- Audio Recording; Complaints Procedure; Data Breach Policy; Data Protection Policy; Disciplinary and Grievance Arrangements; Expenses and Members Allowances; Filming and Recording of Meeting; Media Policy; Records Retention Policy; Staff Appraisal Policy; and Subject Access Request Procedure.
12.1 Resolved:- Each Councillor to report back at the March meeting.
13. To note and approve the Safety Assessment & Action Plan and risk assessments arranged by The Forge Volunteer Coordinators.
13.1 Resolved:- That these documents be approved and be posted on the Welbourn Parish Council website.
14. Portfolio Holders Updates.
14.1 Cllr. Short advised that the monthly coffee shop will be open on 14 February.
14.2 Cllr. Short enquired when the culvert repair adjacent the stone boundary wall at Manor Care Home, The Green will be carried out.
Action Point:- Parish Clerk to enquire of Lincolnshire County Council.
15. Agenda items for the next meeting.
Signed ………………………………………………. Date…………………………….
Chair
(Meeting closed at 8.35 pm.)
Next meeting : - Wednesday 11 March 2026
Copies to: Parish Councillors, County & District Councillors, Parish Council Web Site
Future Parish Council Meetings in 2026: All meetings to commence at 7.30 pm
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11 March 2026 8 April 2026 13 May 2026 10 June 2026 |
8 July 2026 9 September 2026 14 October 2026 11 November 2026 |
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Councillor |
Portfolio 1 |
Portfolio 2 (& 3) |
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Robert Cross |
Byways/Highways |
Cliff Cluster Group Rep & The Forge |
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Stephen Short |
Planning & Finance Cttee |
Human Resources Cttee (& VH Rep) |
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Vacancy |
Finance Cttee |
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Vacancy |
Human Resources Cttee |
Communications (& Planning) |
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Steve Ralph |
Drainage |
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Michael Bighi |
Schools Liaison |
Nature and Environment |
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Steve Spedding |
Castle Hill |
Community Safety & Resilience |
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Mark Crosby |
Allotments |
Village Hall Rep |
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Louise Troy |
Health & Welfare |
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